Sean, Kelly, Chloe and Bridget

Pictures of Bridget

2011-07-24T07:17:00.000-04:00

Tummy time

The "I see dead people" look

Blowing Bubbles

New additions!

2011-07-22T17:17:00.000-04:00

It has been over a year since our last blog update. What can I say except blame Facebook! Here is our latest addition to the O'Connor family; Bridget Mae.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-03T18:08:00.000-05:00

One year ago today we found out we were going to have a baby. We are so blessed.

Getting ready for our Sushi Date

2009-10-17T10:11:00.000-04:00

We decided to go out on a Sushi date with Chloe. She didn't have the sushi, but she enjoyed the company

Don't throw the baby out with the Bathwater

2009-10-03T19:49:00.000-04:00

Chloe had her first Bath this evening; can't say she enjoyed it at all however...

Some more Chloe Pictures

2009-09-29T21:26:00.000-04:00

2009-09-15T15:16:00.000-04:00

We're happy to welcome Chloe Jean into the world. Mom and Baby are both doing well. We feel truley blessed!

This stuffed guy has nothing on me

2009-08-29T11:19:00.000-04:00

Meet the future addition

2009-04-15T18:50:00.012-04:00

We are happy to say the wait is over! This morning we were delighted to discover that the baby we will be bringing into the world is going to be a baby girl. While she has about 4ish mos. to go, she already has a name!

Meet Chloe Jean O'Connor..

So Tiny

2009-03-14T12:03:00.006-04:00

We find out if we are having a Chloe or a Curran on April 15.

Mt. RushKell

2009-03-14T09:11:00.001-04:00

Create your own FACEinHOLE

Happy Winter, Cold, but Happy

2009-02-07T08:06:00.006-05:00

I have wanted to post so many times but never knew what to say. Sean and I are so excited about adding on to our family. We can not stop talking about the baby or what our lives will be like from now on. I am scared, excited, nervous, happy and so very anxious about this whole process. I feel so blessed to be able to experience pregnancy.
The past two weeks I have felt great, very tired but no nausea. For a couple weeks before I felt sick all the time and wondered why no one told me that it was a constant thing that you just have to get used to. Thank God it has passed for now.
I have my next doctors appointment on Monday. We will be going over my ultrasound and blood work. The technician who did my ultrasound thinks my due date might be later due to the size of the baby. I can not wait to have another ultrasound. To see someones heart beating inside your body is the most wonderful experience. I am looking forward to being able to hear it!

Happy Fall

2008-09-27T16:25:00.012-04:00

We are both very lazy when it comes to posting, sorry for the delay. A few before and after shots of some things we have been working on.

Bathroom before

After

Living room before

After

Boston

2008-06-14T15:29:00.019-04:00

To celebrate our one year anniversary we went to Boston. This was my second trip to this city and I just loved it. Every time I go to a big city I am caught up in the idea of living in one of the beautiful tall buildings, working in some little book store or street flower shop ( I would probably need about three jobs, plus Sean's three jobs to pay for living in a beautiful tall building).

There is just something so romantic about cities.

We stayed at the Marriott Long Wharf.

The view from our room.

The building behind Sean is the outside of our hotel. I think it is supposed to look like a ship.

We went to the New England Aquarium.

Walking around the city.

It is so beautiful at night.

Red

2008-05-28T15:31:00.003-04:00

2008-05-17T10:13:00.017-04:00

Our family.

It has almost been one year since I married this man. He is wonderful.

Walk in Forest Park.

Bailey loves car rides.

One of the tulips that survived in the garden full of weeds that I have no idea how to take care of. I'm not even sure which ones are the weeds and which ones are the plants we want.

Our street.

Front view of our house.

View from our room.

Our new clock for the newly painted kitchen.

Banana pancakes on Saturday morning.

Long overdue post part 1 of 1

2008-05-02T18:59:00.008-04:00

So... at some point we stopped posting. This was because the iMac also doubles as a TV for us to watch movies at night... but I digress. We flew into Grand Rapids early Friday, and were whisked over to Ryan and Ang's to meet Sophie for the first time.

Fortunately, like all other blogs, I realize by now you are looking at pictures, so it doesn't matter what we type here. So here are some pictures. Enjoy!

Saturday, we had the distinct pleasure of attending the wedding of Daniel and Katie Rudd. It was a lovely time (in a way that men are allowed to say lovely). Unfortunately, we were having such a great time that we forgot to take pictures of the event. So were looking forward to getting pictures from others. Later in the week, we visited them at their new house. It's a great house! Large, roomy, and a ton of potential. Kelly and I talked later that there would be FOUR children, all of whom lack a certain level of volume control ( like all kids do). So to say the least, we have their Christmas presents already picked out!

Maya, who is celebrating her 2nd birthday at this moment, has grown considerably. Using 4 syllable words, her vocabulary has already surpassed mine. For instance, here is a picture of Maya teaching the basic fundamentals of reading to Kelly. She even gave me a high-5 when I learned to go potty like a big boy. I even got an Elmo sticker out of the deal.

Finally we returned home to warm weather which has since left us. Our yard, in our absence had bloomed full of different flowers.

This Sunday's Home and Garden Tip

2008-03-09T15:25:00.003-04:00

Remember: when applying wallpaper, use industrial strength glue just in case the next home owners would rather take it off.

That is all.

Homewrecker

2008-03-08T08:58:00.009-05:00

So... I'm currently dealing with a little competition for my wifes attention. His name is Bailey, he's 12 weeks old and weighs in at 9.5 pounds. Despite my own transgressions, I find it hard to believe that I am less adorable than this little runt who hasn't yet figured out that a kitchen floor is not a toilet. Amongst his other discrepancies, are the thought that socks are a food group, wires are a delicacy, and going outside is for the birds. Furthermore, I believe he is trying to "get me out of the picture.". To do so, he will park right behind me in hopes that I trip and some unfortunate event might occur.

Do not be fooled by his puppy-like demeanor. This guys is dangerous. In fact, I've included a couple pictures so you too will know what to look for and not be fooled as I was.

Bailey on St Patties

2008-03-04T19:58:00.002-05:00

When you get a puppy this close to St. Patties Day, you have to give him an Irish name. So, meet Bailey! He fly's into us from his breeder tomorrow, but she was nice enough to provide some pictures ahead of time. In the meantime, this St.Patricks day... um... thing co-stars Maya, Ryan, Nathaniel, and um... some chimpanzee.

Don't send a lame St. Patrick's Day eCard. Try JibJab Sendables!

A Thousand Welcomes

2008-02-18T12:44:00.018-05:00

Sorry it took so long to post. We will show you more soon. When I say soon, I really mean in a couple of months.

One week of financial freedom left!

2008-01-25T17:01:00.000-05:00

So... it looks as if this Thursday the two of us will become home owners. I don't know why this doesn't scare me yet... I'm sure it will!

We plan to close on the 31st (this Thursday) and move in on Saturday the 2nd. Fortunately for us, we do seem to have an All-Star cast helping us out with the heavy stuff. I am especially worried of some of the larger pieces and the apartment that we are moving out of. Moving some of the bulkier/heavier things could very well be weather pending.

Anyway, here is a teaser picture of the house. We're very proud and neither one of us thought our first home would be this nice. I might add that there is a guest room and if certain individuals from Michigan care to see the Greater Western Massachusetts area, we can provide accommodations... at this point, I might point out that Massachusetts is a very difficult state to spell and may or may not have taken spell checker to spell properly.

In 2007....

2008-01-11T06:05:00.000-05:00

I'd say this sums it up!

Don't send a lame Holiday eCard. Try JibJab Sendables!

Our First Christmas Tree

2007-11-28T10:37:00.001-05:00

It looks a bit empty, but I am sure we will get more ornaments over the years to actually fill the tree.

I don't know if it's just me who does this, but I can't stop moving the ornaments around.

Wickham Park

2007-10-24T21:43:00.001-04:00

Last week we went to a park called Wickham Park. We drove by the entrance a couple times on our way to other places and Sean would always say how beautiful it was and we should go one of these days. So last Wednesday we decided to go. He was right, it is very beautiful. I looked up the park history on line and found out most of the land had been owned by Clarence and Edith Wickham. They left the land and a large portion of their estate to fund the park. The park is over 250 acres. I know you are probably thinking "who cares where the park came from". Well it turns out this couple met in Europe but he was from Connecticut and she was from Michigan. In June of 1900 they were married in Muskegon, Michigan! Her maiden name was Edith McGraft. McGraft might sound familiar to those who know Muskegon because it is a name of a park. She donated money to build the community building at McGraft park and when she died she left money to the trust for the park funding.
We had a great time walking around taking pictures. I tried to capture some of the colors of a New England fall, but with the little rainfall we had this year I am told the color is not as great as it normally is. I still think it is beautiful.

Happy Birthday Dad

2007-09-27T10:26:00.000-04:00

Tuesday was my fathers birthday. I wanted to be able to give him a hug, but the distance makes that extremely hard to do. To those of you who are able to give him hugs, please give a big one from me.

I love you dad!

1400 Sky Miles later....

2007-09-17T19:09:00.001-04:00

This weekend we went back to Muskegon for a long overdue visit. Kelly was incredibly excited to see everyone that she has missed so much since moving here. I was also pretty excited, but I'm sure it paled in comparison. The night started out with a dinner at Mom and Dad Corbin's. Ryan, Angela and Maya showed up as well and we had Musaka... musuka... we'll just call it Mufassa (from Lion King). A great Greek dish that lived up to it's hype; I've been hearing about it for a year.

On Friday, we had the opportunity to see some of Kelly's friends, and that evening we went over to Ryan and Ang's new home near the airport. We had a great dinner and desert. Mind you at this "feed on demand" schedule, I've already eaten enough to allow most large mammals to hibernate for a season or two, so any talk of food hereafter after implies the feeling of being incredibly stuffed.

Saturday morning, we went down to the Heritage landing for the Irish music festival. The "opposite of July" would explain the temperature that day. We huddled in the tent to watch some great live music and gorge ourselves on Irish Stew (again, stuffed!). They also had a great arts and crafts area, and an outdoor stage were we saw an amazing fiddling band. That evening we went to see Katie's new place. She was kind enough to entertain us with a book about a bearded lady and her elephant-man boy friend. I guess you had to be there...

Sunday, unfortunately, was our day to say goodbye. We met at Rafferty's for brunch where we had a waitress who did everything in her power to remind us that tipping was strictly optional. When we asked her for a kids cup for Maya, she brought us a Styrofoam container and offered to stick a straw through it. Her logic was truly mind boggling. We said some goodbye's after brunch, and some more at the airport.

The flight was uneventful, which is the trademark of a good flight. When we got home though, we discovered that Maya had left us a present in our luggage, as you can see on your right.

2007-08-09T08:53:00.000-04:00

Newport, RI

Thought I would post a few pictures from our day trip to Newport. We did take more, but it seems I have somehow deleted them from our picture program. I am not very good at this.

My Turn

2007-06-26T09:25:00.001-04:00

I thought it might be about time I actually contribute to this blog. Sean has been doing such a great job (except for the wrong order of events), I haven't felt the need to add anything.
We had our party here in CT this past weekend and it was very nice. His family is wonderful, I have been blessed with great in-laws. My parents even came for the weekend. I had been looking forward to seeing them since the day we left Michigan.
On Saturday we took a trip to Mystic. My mom and I enjoyed the shops while the guys tagged along. The weather was beautiful.
Monday morning I followed Sean to meet my parents to say goodbye. I hate goodbyes. This time I didn't cry until I got in my car and drove away. This time was worse because I don't know when I get to see them again. I spent most of the day trying not to think about it. Sean came home from work and brought dinner (a whole lobster) and these flowers. He wanted to make me feel better. He did.
Last night we stood in the kitchen and he held me saying I could go home to visit soon. I told him my home is where he is, I just miss my family.

Shawn uses Cheap Child Labor to conduct House Move

2007-06-16T19:01:00.000-04:00

Shawn Schulze, in a shameless display, decided to go with cheap child labor to conduct his home move. As these slides show, only the kids under age 10 are working. All adults were in "supervisory" roles. This reporter for instance had thought he even heard the familiar cracking sound of a whip.

Shame on you Shawn Schulze

Bet-ur L8 den Nev-ur

2007-06-16T10:03:00.001-04:00

Or "Better Late than Never" if you prefer good grammar. Anyway, although I am reminded that the postings of pictures should be in some sort of chronological order (i.e. Wedding pix before Honeymoon), that isn't how it turned out. Some day's you just put the left shoe on the right foot.

Anyway, without further ado (I've never known what that term really means) here are some pictures from the wedding!

Stay tuned for Shawn moving pictures. I'm going to try to get Kelly to post those, although she informs me that her position on this blog is purely that of management (slave driving if you will), so I suppose that makes me the peon... hey, it's just like our marriage!

Illegal Border Crossings

2007-06-15T19:29:00.000-04:00

Well, The lovely wife and I have returned from our Honeymoon! It was a great time. I think we enjoyed the ship more than Cozumel however. When we got there, it was 100 degrees.... in the shade... in an air conditioned room even. The cruise was a great time, unfortunately, we found a way to take advantage of all the free food, so now the guilt has laid in. This blog-guy for instance looks as though he may be celebrating his second trimester.

Thankfully, Carnival doesn't charge by the pound!

The O'Connor's are coming!

2007-05-17T20:21:00.000-04:00

Actual Family Portrait ----- >

We're all looking forward to our trip to Michigan for the wedding. In truth, I feel the entire situation has the possibility of erupting into a really bad Ben Stiller sequel - Meet the Corbins - but I'm hoping my side behaves... for once... please!

So here's the plan Stan:
1. Give Shawn and Travis bad directions
2. Spike my sisters drink with Nyquil
3. Hire actors to play my parents

Finally add one teaspoon of olive oil and bake at 350 for 20 minutes, and it's going to be a great wedding!!!!

Seriously though... they all cant wait for August 2nd.. the big day?

The rule was NO SHOWER GAMES

2007-05-17T20:02:00.000-04:00

This is a picture of Kelly (looking great) at her first of two showers. Kelly made it very clear to all in attendance that any shower games would be met with involuntary decapitation. Come to think of it... I've never heard of voluntary decap. I think that would be a short lived sport on ESPN... but I digress!

It was a great time (or so I hear) that was enjoyed by all. We even got our matrimonial snickers bar... I dont think I will ever call it that again... like ever.

A New Schulze

2007-04-17T23:36:00.000-04:00

Congrats to Robyn, Shawn and Ryan on their newest edition... Nathaniel Alexander Schulze!

My Homework

2007-04-14T18:23:00.000-04:00

I forget who said it, but somebody said we'd need to start a blog so everyone from Mich can keep up with us. Anyway, this is part 1 of that homework